Have We Met Before?
by ajfankeith
Summary: Aaron's and Robert's souls have met before, in a past life.
1. Chapter 1

Have We Met Before? - Chapter 1

 _-O-_

 _DISCLAIMER: I am not connected to Emmerdale and its characters, which belong to ITV_

 _-O-_

 _For my friend Iggy: an imagining of her idea_

 _-O-_

It was a chilly December night. Aaron wanted to snuggle by the fire with his husband but, as usual, Robert had other plans. Victoria had bought tickets for herself, Adam, Robert and Aaron to go to a theatre in Hotten that evening. Aaron had sulked about it in his usual way as he had no interest in seeing a clairvoyant performing his act on stage. To Aaron, it was all a con and a waste of time, but Robert insisted that they could not let down his little sister as she had paid for the tickets. Aaron had even suggested that he could give his ticket to Liv but she had refused to go. So, it seemed he would have to attend and make the most of it.

They met up at Adam and Vic's house. Vic took one look at Aaron and could see that he was not really interested in going to the theatre, "Crack a smile, laughing boy!" she said, sarcastically, "You really should be grateful for a free trip to the Alhambra."

Aaron tried to enter into the spirit of things, "I don't mind a freebie: I just wish it could have been to see a Christmas gig...or even a pantomime."

Adam had to laugh, "A panto? You?" he looked at Aaron in disbelief. "How old are you now?"

Aaron sneered, "Alright, sarky! I bet you're only going to this freak show because 'her indoors' has decreed it."

There was the sound of Pete's taxi horn outside and Robert took charge, "Right, the cab's here. Stop bickering you lot and let's get going."

On arrival at the theatre, Aaron and Robert found that Vic had obtained tickets for front row seats. They had a perfect, close-up view of the clairvoyant, known as 'Mystic Marvin'. Marvin was slim, dark-haired and was wearing a dark blue suit which had sparkles in the material. He quickly introduced a companion on stage, named 'Steve Stargazer', who was a hypnotist.

Aaron had a little chortle over the names. He guessed that both men really had ordinary names like Smith and Jones. He found their stage names hilarious.

About fifteen minutes into the act, after Marvin had participated in some banter with the audience and surprised one or two by correctly identifying their occupations, he asked for volunteers to go up on stage for the next part of the show. Unsurprisingly, no-one in the audience made a move so Steve left the stage and walked down to the front row. Seeing Aaron and Robert sitting there, he invited them to accompany him onto the stage. The couple looked at each other and shrugged, but decided that it might be fun.

Marvin explained that Steve was going to hypnotise them and they were sat down on two chairs. Aaron, his bravado never far from the surface, started to protest that he would be resistant to hypnotism and, as he was speaking, his voice suddenly trailed off and he went very quiet and looked as if he had fallen asleep. Robert was a little concerned for his husband but Marvin assured him that he was fine. Robert was then hypnotised in the same way.

Marvin explained that the two men were being 'regressed' and would remember past lives. Steve asked Aaron what he could see.

Aaron opened his eyes. He looked around but did not seem to be seeing the interior of the theatre, "The kitchen at the cottage," he said, quietly.

"What cottage?"

"At Stonebridge Point."

"Are you there alone?" Steve asked.

"No, Rod is outside getting the coal in for the fire."

"Rod? Who's he?"

"He's my...er..." Aaron hesitated, "...friend."

"I see," Steve turned his attention to Robert, "and where are you at the moment?"

Robert opened his eyes but had the same glazed look as Aaron, "In the woods with Archie."

"Archie?"

"We came here together to get away...he's special. It's lovely in these woods, away from the rest of the world. I wish we could stay here forever."

Steve brought them out of the hypnosis and they returned to their seats. Victoria and Adam looked at them a bit quizzically but said nothing.

It was in the taxi on the way home that Adam brought up the subject of Robert and Aaron's hypnotism, "So guys, who are Rod and Archie?"

"What?" Aaron looked completely confused.

"You were saying that Rod was your friend and you were at Stonebridge Point," Adam said as he looked at his best mate, "and Robert said he was with Archie."

"What are you on about?" it was Robert's turn to look confused.

Victoria studied their blank expressions, "You really don't know what you said when you were under the influence, do you?"

"This is weird," Aaron did not like mysteries, "Why would we mention people we don't know and places we've never heard of?" he looked at Robert, "Unless you know someone called Archie and you're keeping it from me?"

"No," Robert emphatically denied it, "I don't know anyone by that name, or a place called Stonebridge Point. But they did say we were being regressed and would remember stuff from a past life. Maybe whoever I had become knew someone called Archie?"

Aaron shivered, "It's all a bit spooky. I'll probably have nightmares now!"

xxxxxxxxxx

That night, Aaron did not have a nightmare, but he did have a very strange, vivid dream. He was on a battlefield and could hear heavy fighting going on nearby. The noise of gunfire was all around, as were mud, blood and bullets. Suddenly, in an instant, he had moved to a hospital and someone resembling Robert was looking down at him. It could easily have been Robert, yet Aaron knew that it was not his husband. Something was different, yet he knew that this was still the love of his life. It was a jumble, like many dreams, but Aaron could remember it all clearly when he woke up. It unnerved him.

Robert also had a vivid dream. He was with Aaron in a forest, yet he did not know this place and Aaron was different. He was clean-shaven, but it was more than that. Aaron had lighter hair, a kind of dark brown with a red tinge, but he still had his piercing blue eyes. He knew that he was the most special person in the world to him. Robert also remembered his dream after waking and, like Aaron: he was also unnerved by it.

They ate their breakfast almost in silence. Finally, as he finished his corn flakes, Robert could not stand the suspense any longer, "Come on: tell me what's on your mind."

Aaron was about to reply with a smart remark but he had come to realise that Robert knew him so well, "It's like this: I had the strangest dream last night."

"So did I," Robert replied, which led them to recount their dreams to each other.

"Do you think this has something to do with being hypnotised?" Aaron asked.

"I don't remember what I said at the time, when we were on stage," Robert took Aaron's hands in his own, "but I think it could be. Although I knew it was you in my dream, I wanted to call you Archie. How weird is that?"

"When you were looking down at me, I knew it was you...and yet it wasn't you. I wish we'd never gone to that rotten place. I'm going mad!"

"No you're not," Robert stroked Aaron's hands, "unless I am too. That hypnosis has messed with our heads. Let's just forget all about it and put it behind us, shall we? It's just a load of mumbo-jumbo anyway."

Aaron decided to take Robert's advice and do just that.

However, the next night he had another dream which was just as vivid as the first one. This time, he was on a train, in a compartment of an old-fashioned carriage, with Robert sitting opposite him. At least it looked like Robert. He was smartly dressed in period costume. His fair hair was long and floppy, cut neatly round his ears and with a side parting. He smiled at Aaron and Aaron smiled back. They appeared to be travelling somewhere together. Aaron looked down at the soldier's uniform that he was wearing: it felt a little itchy and he scratched his thigh subconsciously.

Aaron could hear the whistle blowing on the steam locomotive that was hauling their train. He looked out of the window at the valley below as they crossed over a viaduct. He did not know where they were going, but he knew that he belonged with the love of his life and everything was fine as long as Robert was there. But, his name was not Robert! He was a spitting image, despite his hairstyle and attire, but Aaron knew that it was not Robert...it was...Roderick. Yes, Doctor Roderick Sugden: that was his name and, because he was his lover, he shortened the name to Rod.

Aaron came to with a start. It was still dark and he looked at the clock: 3am.

"Are you okay, babe?" Robert's voice soothed him a little in the gloom.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Aaron yawned and rubbed his eyes.

"Were you having another dream?"

"Yeah, but it was different this time," Aaron explained, "we were on a train...well, when I say we, I mean I was on a train with your twin. His name is Roderick, I don't know how, but I somehow know that now. He was dressed in really old clothes."

"What? Rags you mean?"

"No," Aaron explained, "I mean old as in old-fashioned, but very smart: and I was wearing a uniform."

"Oooh, I like a man in uniform," Robert joked.

"Shut up, you Muppet," Aaron chuckled, "I think I was dressed as a soldier."

"Where were we going?" Robert was intrigued.

"I don't know," Aaron replied, "I woke up before we had arrived anywhere, but I had a feeling..."

"What?" Robert wanted Aaron to continue, but could tell that he was hesitant.

"Well," Aaron reached over and turned on the bedside lamp, which made Robert squint with the sudden bright light, "I had a feeling we were heading for Stonebridge Point. But that's stupid: I've never heard of it! I've probably got that name on my mind after Adam mentioned it."

"That's strange," Robert said.

"What is?"

"Well, when you woke up, I roused because you shouted something, but I was dreaming too. You were there, standing on a station platform. I think you were in a soldier's uniform, actually. I was coming to meet you and I knew we had arranged to meet and catch a train. Maybe it's the one we were on in your dream."

"Oh great," Aaron groaned, "we're dreaming in sync now!"

Robert laughed, "I can't even have a dream to myself."

"Robert."

"What, babe?"

"I'm scared."

Robert swept Aaron into his arms and cuddled him, "There's nothing to be scared of: they're only dreams."

"But, isn't it a bit spooky to be having the same dream? I don't like it...it's not, well, normal."

Robert jumped out of bed, "I tell you what, I'll get that road atlas from downstairs."

"What for?"

"I want to find out where Stonebridge Point is."

Aaron was going to tell Robert to come back to bed, but he knew that his husband was like a dog with a bone when he was determined to do something, so he saved his breath. Soon, Robert returned and climbed back into bed, clutching the atlas. He looked up the name and turned to the relevant page. "Ah, there it is." He pointed to a spot on the map.

"That's in Northumberland," Aaron said.

"I'm glad you took geography at school," Robert was being his sarcastic best.

Aaron gave him a disdainful look, "But, I've never been anywhere near there."

"I think we should have a little trip out tomorrow: I'm always up for exploring new places."

Aaron did not look too sure, "I don't know. It still all feels a bit creepy to me."

"Where's your spirit of adventure? There's nothing to be afraid of."

"Yeah," Aaron found solace in Robert's calming influence, "I'm just being daft. Let's get back to sleep."

They kissed and then settled down as Aaron turned off the light again.


	2. Chapter 2

Have We Met Before? - Chapter 2

 _-O-_

 _DISCLAIMER: I am not connected to Emmerdale and its characters, which belong to ITV_

 _-O-_

"You can take a few days off, can't you?" Robert said as he sat with his husband at their breakfast table.

"I expect so, why?"

"I looked up Stonebridge Point and found a holiday cottage to rent, so I thought we'd have a little break for a few days, rather than dash up there and dash back again."

"Good idea."

Robert looked at Aaron in surprise, "You've changed your tune since yesterday."

Aaron knew that he had been less than enthusiastic about the trip, "Well, we are due a holiday. I suppose Northumberland does have its attractions."

Robert put his hands either side of Aaron's head and kissed him on the lips.

"What's that for?" Aaron asked.

"Do I need a reason to kiss my husband?"

"I suppose not, but you're not usually that spontaneous, unless you're up to something."

"Oh, thanks," Robert looked a little peeved, "So, every time I kiss you, I'm up to something."

"I didn't say that," Aaron was backtracking, "let's go pack...before we have a full-blown domestic."

They both chuckled as they climbed the stairs to find their suitcases.

A little later, they were heading north up the A1. Robert was driving and following directions on his sat nav while Aaron just enjoyed the view. They reached the village of Stonebridge but, despite their sat nav, became a little lost when trying to find the cottage. In any case, they needed to pick up keys from a pub called the 'The Crown and Sceptre' so they stopped there. The landlord, a grey-haired, plump man with a ruddy complexion, gave them the keys and directed them to a lane leading out of the village, but warned them that they would need to look for a gate at the end of a path. The tree-lined path on the edge of the woods led to the cottage, but it was set back quite a distance from the road.

The landlord's directions turned out to be spot on. Robert parked the car in a space in front of the gate and he and Aaron climbed out to take a look.

"There's a padlock," Aaron said, inspecting the old, wooden gate, which had a plaque attached with the name 'Point Cottage'.

"Yes," Robert replied, "the landlord said you can undo it with one of the keys he gave us, but you can only get the car in behind the gate: the path is too narrow for a car so we need to get to the cottage on foot."

After dealing with the padlock and parking their car properly, they traipsed up the path and Aaron began to wonder if they had come to the right place as it just seemed like a country path leading nowhere, no more than a furrow which was overgrown with long grass. But they quickly came to a bend in the path and suddenly the cottage was right in front of them. It was quite small, with an outbuilding a few yards away, across a clearing in the trees. They approached the door and Robert pulled the keys from his pocket and unsuccessfully tried two of them before he found the right one. They let themselves in and were greeted by a single room, which had two easy chairs and fireplace to the left, a double bed to the right and a kitchen area straight ahead. The floor of the kitchen area was accessed by a couple of wooden steps leading up to it. Aaron looked up at the exposed beams above, there were open attic trusses holding up the pitched roof.

"Where's the bathroom?" Robert asked: he could see before him the sum total of the contents of the interior of the cottage.

"I expect it's in that outbuilding across the way, where they used to store the coal and wood for the fire," Aaron replied without hesitation.

"How the hell do you know that?" Robert looked bemused.

Aaron had the feeling that he already knew this place, but he did not know why, "I'm not sure," he said, looking at Robert with a shocked expression, "It's like I've been here before: but I know I haven't."

After unpacking and eating some food that they had brought with them, they decided to get to bed so that they could make an early start the next day. It was too dark to walk back down the unlit path and Robert resolved to buy a couple of torches the next day in the village or nearest town. The cottage had electricity but no television, so Aaron and Robert thought that they would need to make their own evening entertainment, either by going out to a pub or by staying in and playing a board game from a selection that had been provided.

xxxxxxxxxx

That night, Aaron could not get to sleep at first. He put it down to being in a strange bed but he had felt ill-at-ease since he arrived. He heard Robert snuffling and knew that his husband had fallen asleep, so he tried to relax. After a while, he did doze off, but immediately started dreaming. He was in the very same cottage, but things were different. For one thing, there was no electric light, but there were gas mantles on the walls. The kitchen area was ancient and very basic, with a huge rectangular sink and no modern appliances. On a stand near the bed, there was a large china bowl with a pitcher for water. Plus, he somehow knew that he was no longer called Aaron when he heard "Are you alright, Archie?"

Rod's voice came from the other side of the bed, "Is it the dreams again?"

"Yes," Archie replied.

Archie felt Rod's arm slip round his shoulder, "You're still suffering from shell shock, I expect. That beastly war has messed up so many people's lives. Thank the Lord it's over at last."

"I'm a lucky man," Archie mused, "I've been looked after better than most soldiers have. Are you sure Ruby is still alright with me coming round to your house?"

Rod loved to hear Archie talk: he was hesitant and not very confident and his broad Norfolk accent was so different from his own cultured tones. But, although they were different animals, Rod loved Archie just the way he was.

"My wife is absolutely fine with it," Rod answered, "although she would not be as keen on the idea if she knew about the true nature of our relationship."

Archie thought about the way he had met Rod. He had been lucky enough to have survived a fierce battle and had been taken to a field hospital, where Rod, the doctor, tended to him. Archie had attracted Rod in a way that neither of them understood fully. Rod had his wife Ruby waiting at home: they had married before Rod was posted overseas. They had been childhood sweethearts, although Rod had always harboured a yen for others of his own sex, but he buried his clandestine feelings, especially as homosexuality was illegal at the time and he felt that he could never act on his yearnings. But then he met Archie: a 'diamond in the rough'. After they were both demobilised and returned home, Rod could not bear the thought of never seeing Archie again. The lad still needed nursing back to full fitness and he told Ruby that he wanted Archie to visit their house as he was an old army friend. Ruby did not have a clue about the intense, passionate relationship that had developed between her husband and the young soldier. As far as she was concerned, her husband was just being compassionate and kind as that was in his nature.

Archie and Rod took a walk, hand-in-hand, into the woods the next day. They would not have dared to hold hands in public, but they were completely concealed in the dense trees that surrounded the cottage and there did not seem to be anyone around for miles. They came to a tiny stream that trickled through the woods. They stopped by a tree next to the stream and Rod pulled a penknife from his pocket and carved a heart shape into the bark of a tree, then carved 'R S loves A D' inside the heart.

"What does that say?" Archie asked.

"It's our initials," explained Rod, "R S is me, Roderick Sugden and A D is you, Archie Dingle. R S loves A D. Do you want to carve something too?"

Archie looked embarrassed and shuffled on his feet, side to side, he stared at the floor, "I don't think so."

"What's the matter?" Rod could tell that Archie was stalling for time, "Don't you love me back?"

"You know I do!" Archie pulled Rod to him and planted a big kiss on his lips. When they broke the kiss, Rod looked into Archie's wondrous blue eyes.

"Well, why don't you want to carve our initials on the tree then?" Rod asked.

"I don't want to say, you'll think I'm simple and you won't love me anymore," Archie looked upset.

"What is it, lover? You can tell me anything and nothing will change the way I feel about you."

"Promise?"

"I promise. Cross my heart and hope to die."

"You see," Archie was still unsure of himself but he knew that he would have to say something now. He wanted to carve their names on the tree as Rod had done and he did not want Rod to think that he did not love him, so he cleared his throat to make the most difficult announcement that he had ever had to make in his life, "I can't read and write."

"Oh, my poor baby!" Rod pulled Archie into a tight embrace and hugged him with all his might, "It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does," Archie replied, "Now you pity me and I don't want that. You're so clever and you'll think I'm dense."

Rod drew back to look Archie in the eye, "I don't think that at all. I had the good fortune to have a good education when I was young and you obviously didn't, that's all. It's not your fault if you didn't have the same opportunities as I did when you were a child. You have so many good qualities: you're kind, loving, loyal and handsome. If anyone puts you down, those blackguards will have me to deal with."

Archie knew that Rod was trying to make him feel better and he kissed him again, "I want to carve our initials on that tree, but I don't know how."

"I'll teach you, if you want," Rod looked at Archie tenderly, "Let's make a pact. If it's alright with you, I'll help you with your reading and writing and we'll come back here one day and carve another heart on this tree and you can put our initials in it. You can do it, I know you can."

Archie smiled. He knew that Rod did not think he was stupid, which meant the world to him at that moment.

xxxxxxxxxx

The village of Stonebridge was quiet when Aaron and Robert went to investigate the next morning. Aaron had fragments of his dream still lodged in his mind from the previous night. He could remember, as Archie, walking in the woods with Rod, but little pieces of the dream kept coming back to him like little whispers in his ear. He felt that his memory of a long-ago couple was fading since the hypnotism had unearthed it. Robert was no longer having dreams about the couple at all, although he still vividly remembered the meeting with handsome soldier Archie at the unknown station.

They wandered around the village and came to the churchyard. There were a few headstones in the neatly kept grounds around the church. Aaron and Robert strolled around until Aaron suddenly stopped by a headstone and spoke, "Look at this Robert! Your namesake is buried here."

Robert looked at the inscription on the headstone and suddenly his dream felt like an event that had actually happened in his own life. There, in front of his own eyes, was the name 'Roderick Sugden'.

Aaron had moved on to the next headstone and Robert heard him exclaim "Oh my God!"

Robert stood by his husband to look at the next headstone and he stood with his mouth open: the stone bore the name 'Archibald Dingle'.


	3. Chapter 3

Have We Met Before? - Chapter 3

 _-O-_

 _DISCLAIMER: I am not connected to Emmerdale and its characters, which belong to ITV_

 _-O-_

"I need a stiff drink," Robert said as he and Aaron studied the names on the headstones.

"Let's go and have a pint at the pub," Aaron suggested.

Robert ordered their drinks at the bar and started chatting to the landlord, "Do you know anything about the people that used to live in this village years ago?"

"I've only been here for two years," the landlord replied, "who were you thinking about, specifically?"

"I'm interested in two names in the cemetery: Roderick Sugden and Archie Dingle."

"You'll need to ask old Clem, he's lived in the village since he was a boy, he might know."

"How can I find him?"

"No need to go looking," the landlord smiled, "he'll be in soon: Old Clem is as regular as clockwork. I'll point him out to you when he gets here."

Sure enough, Old Clem appeared as expected and the landlord told him that Aaron and Robert wanted some information. Aaron thought of Santa Claus when he saw him, with his long white beard and red coat. Old Clem was delighted when Robert offered to buy him a pint and they sat at a table.

"Did you know a Roderick Sugden?" Robert asked.

"Ah yes," Old Clem stroked his long beard thoughtfully, "I remember Doctor Sugden. He sent me to hospital to have my tonsils out when I was a nipper."

"So, he practiced in the village then?" Robert enquired.

"Oh yes," Old Clem answered, "for many a year. He lived at Mill Cottage, further up the hill: it's empty now."

"Did he live on his own?"

"He wasn't married, but he had a lodger and the lodger's sister lived there too, she was his housekeeper."

"Was the lodger called Archie Dingle?"

"Yes, but I didn't know them very well. I was young and they were middle-aged, so I tended to know people of my own age more. I didn't mix much with the older folk."

Robert and Aaron thanked the old man and decided to go and investigate further. They walked up the hill and found Mill Cottage. It was a dilapidated building with the windows boarded up and looked as if it had not been lived in for many years. They walked around the old building to the back and found a rear door which was not fastened.

"Shall we take a look inside?" Robert asked.

"Okay," Aaron replied.

They found themselves in a kitchen. The floor had an old, tatty linoleum covering and the decor was very old fashioned. The place had a musty smell and would need serious renovation if it was ever to be habitable again. They explored the empty downstairs rooms and decided to look upstairs. They looked in all the bedrooms and were just walking down the stairs again when Aaron put his foot on a rotten wooden step and lost his footing. He tumbled down the remaining stairs, hit his head on the wall at the bottom and was out cold.

"Aaron!" Robert exclaimed with panic in his voice. He crouched down to his beloved husband, fear etched across his face.

xxxxxxxxxx

Rod and Archie parted ways at the station after their trip to Stonebridge Point, so that Rod could return home to his wife and Archie to the rented rooms he shared with his sister, Lily.

Ruby, Rod's wife, was an attractive girl, with brown eyes and dark hair hanging down in tight ringlets. She was well educated, like Rod: and she was very clever. She was no fool and could tell something was amiss as soon as Rod returned. They also had marital problems as Rod was not fully committed to the relationship and, because of his true sexuality, found it difficult to make love to Ruby.

They embraced, but Ruby could tell Rod was a bit distant, "So, nothing's changed since you've been away then?" she said.

"How do you mean?" Rod was being coy.

"Rod, we have not been married for very long and you've been away for a lot of it, but you've been like a stranger since you came back from the war."

Rod felt that he needed to make excuses, "The war has disrupted everyone's lives: so many men have come back different to the way they were before. I just need time to adjust, that's all. I'll try harder to be a good husband to you."

Meanwhile, Archie returned to his lodgings. He and his sister Lily rented two rooms at a boarding house. The landlady, Mrs Davies, was quite strict but she treated them well, as long as they always paid their rent on time. Archie dreamed of being with Rod, but Rod was married and he did not feel that he could abandon his sister. So the situation appeared hopeless. The few days at Stonebridge Point had been the happiest of his life: being able to be himself with the man he loved, away from the world.

Rod lay next to his wife in bed that night, "I'm sorry," he said, not needing to elaborate. He had intended to make love to his wife, but he could not.

"It's alright," Ruby replied, "I know you have a lot on your plate."

"But it's not fair on you," Rod did not understand the reason for his failure to satisfy his wife: she was very attractive. She had a slim figure, was very petite and had a beautiful face. Many men would be aroused by her, but Rod just could not get excited by the prospect of making love to her. He knew there was nothing wrong with his libido, as it was easily inflamed by Archie. Truth to tell, he could make love endlessly with his handsome, male consort, but the prospect of sex with Ruby, or any other woman, left him cold.

Because of the society that he lived in, Rod feared that if it was ever discovered that he had a sexual relationship with another man, he would lose his job, his position and his status and would more than likely go to prison. The strain of keeping it a secret was getting too much for him. He knew that Ruby was becoming suspicious about his general attitude towards her. He was not a cruel man, it was not in his nature, but he sometimes struggled to keep up the pretence. With all the pressures that society put on him, he reluctantly decided that he should make a go of his marriage and call time on his affair with Archie. He arranged to meet Archie at a hotel to break the bad news.

With heavy heart, he booked a room and met Archie as arranged. He looked his lover in the eye as they sat on the bed in their hotel room. He did not want to hurt him, but he was determined to keep a stiff upper lip.

"Archie," he began as he took his lover's hands in his own, "you know this can't go on forever, don't you? I can't keep living a double life and keep sneaking around behind Ruby's back. What we are doing is illegal and wrong."

Archie was shocked, "How can you say that?" he said as tears started to fall from his lovely blue eyes.

"Listen to me. You know what they call this don't you? 'The love that dare not speak its name'. We can't be together because, if we try, we'll end up in prison."

"But," Archie sobbed, "I love you."

Archie's tear-stained face was breaking Rod's heart, but he was determined to see it through, "I love you too, but we can't see each other anymore...I'm sorry."

Rod kissed Archie and his lover clung onto him, but he pulled away and headed for the door. He turned briefly to see Archie, looking distraught on the bed, "Goodbye, my precious love."

xxxxxxxxxx

A week later, Rod heard a knock at the door and was surprised to see a young lady on his doorstep.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"Sorry," Lily said, "I don't know if this is the right house. I'm looking for Doctor Sugden."

Rod studied the young woman carefully. He could see a strong resemblance with Archie and he guessed her identity before she introduced herself.

"I'm Lily Dingle, Archie's sister."

"I'm Doctor Sugden: please...won't you come in?"

"Thank you," Lily stepped inside and looked around the large hallway. Then she looked at Rod and spoke again, "It's Archie...I didn't know what to do."

Rod was becoming concerned as he studied Lily's face, it was clear that she was in distress: he guessed that she was a couple of years younger than Archie, "What is it? What's wrong?"

Lily burst into tears, "He tried to kill himself," she wailed, "took an overdose of those pills he's had since the war: to calm his nerves. He asked if I'd come to see you and ask if you would visit him, he gave me this address."

Rod was dumbfounded. He just stared at Lily with his mouth open.

Lily took Rod's silence as a sign of disapproval, "I shouldn't have come here. Why would you want to be bothering with the likes of us? You're an important man, I'm sorry to have bothered you."

Lily turned to leave but Rod stopped her, "No, wait! Of course I'll come to see him. We met during the war and he's a friend."

"Oh, thank you Doctor," Lily looked relieved, "He's at 34 Macclesfield Terrace, that's where we lodge with Mrs Davies."

"I know the address."

"Oh good, I'll go and get the bus back."

"No need, I'll call us a cab."

Lily looked concerned. "I won't be able to afford a cab."

"Don't you worry about that, my dear...I'm paying."

"Thank you, sir. You're very kind."

"And there's no need to call me 'sir'. Call me Roderick."

"Oh, I couldn't do that, sir."

"Of course you can. Archie and I are friends: I'd like to think that we are too."

"Very well, sir...I mean, Roderick."

On arrival at the house in Macclesfield Terrace, Lily introduced Rod to the landlady. On hearing that he was a doctor, Mrs Davies started bending his ear about her housemaid's knee. He was very patient with her, but all the while he was desperate to see Archie. They finally managed to break free and Lily showed Rod to Archie's room.

Archie smiled when he saw Rod. Lily could not remember the last time that she saw her brother smile like that.

"Well," Lily said, "I'd better get going or I'll be late for my shift at the factory. I'll leave you two to chat in private."

"Have you got far to go to work?" Rod enquired.

"No, it's only a five-minute walk," Lily explained.

When they were left alone, Rod looked at Archie, sitting in an easy chair next to the bed. He sat on the bed and Archie left the chair to sit next to him.

"Why did you do it?" Rod asked.

Archie knew that he was referring to his suicide attempt, "I can't live without you: that's why. I felt so lonely and empty. My life was over: at least it would have been if Lily hadn't found me. I didn't think you'd come."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"You've made your choice...your place is with Ruby."

Rod took Archie's hands in his own, "Oh Archie, I've been a fool! I've made the wrong choice. I'm no use to Ruby, I can't satisfy her. You are the one I want: the one that makes me happy. Please, will you take me back?"

Archie did not answer with words, but with a deep, long kiss.

When their lips parted, Archie stared into Rod's eyes, "What about the fear of going to prison? The 'love that dare not speak its name'?"

"I don't care about that anymore. I love you and that can't be wrong."

"I love you too, so much," Archie leaned in for another kiss. "What do we do now?"

"We'll move away, a place where no-one knows us...Stonebridge Point maybe? I'll tell Ruby I'm leaving her and she'll be free to marry a man who will love her the way she deserves."

"What about Lily?" Archie asked, "I can't leave her on her own."

"She can come with us. I like Lily: I'll buy a house big enough for all of us."

Rod and Archie tore at each other's clothes and were soon naked in the bed together. They both felt as though this was truly where they belonged: in each other's arms.

xxxxxxxxxx

Aaron came round after his fall and looked up to see Robert anxiously peering down at him.

"Are you alright?" Robert asked as he cradled Aaron in his arms.

"Yes, I'm okay. That will teach me for poking around in old wrecks of houses."

They walked back to their holiday cottage and took a little stroll amongst the trees, hand in hand. They came to a little brook and found two hearts carved into the bark of one of the trees. The first heart had 'R S loves A D' inside it and the second heart had 'A D loves R S' inscribed in different handwriting.

"Rod did teach Archie to write, then," Aaron said.

"What?" Robert looked puzzled.

"Nothing!" Aaron was smiling from ear to ear, "I'll tell you later. But, they lived happily ever after; that's all that matters."


End file.
